Rajesh Talwar is a prolific writer of modern India. This is his third published book I have read in a month. He has touched few themes that the modern Indian society either still considered them as taboo or are not taken serious enough such that the issue become might have a chaotic effect for some time over the whole society directly or indirectly. One of them is the issue of dowry and its side-effects. This disease is still in practice in this country and is one of the realities of modern India.

A perfect example is the play, The Bride Who Would Burn. It speaks the story of a young and attractive protagnist, Poonam, who lives in Model Town, Delhi has an arranged marriage with Ravinder who manages a shop together with his father in Ghaziabad. The boy’s family have expectations of a fat dowry from the marriage. Ravinder hopes to set up shop independently in an expensive commercial area. Poonam’s mother Mrs Bajaj has hidden her financial status from the family her daughter is marrying into. When that family’s expectations of a large dowry are not met, things turn sour. Very sour. - www.goodreads.com

An arranged marriage in India which celebrates the union of two families rather than individuals, is a potpourri of human expectations and this story is filled with the most ambitious ones, depending on which person you ask! The Bride Who Would Not Burn is a wonderful book that takes a look at the compelling issue of dowry practices prevalent in modern India in the form of a plot that is filled with humor doused with a heavy dose of reality.

The issue of the practice of dowry and mindsets of the society in general when it comes to men and women are brought to the forefront by the simple words of the author, Rajesh Talwar. The story which is written in the form of a play manages to keep the reader's attention throughout and even manages to raise a lot of relevant questions in the reader's mind. By doing this Mr.Talwar has managed to educate the readers about a very serious issue plaguing the country and has also initiated a thought process on what we could do rid away with this ugly practice still practiced in all echelons of the society.

Since I am someone who feels very strongly about such issues, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and would recommend this to anyone interested in reading about some of the cultural practices that plague India. At 223 pages it is a quick and easy read about a sensitive issue. In fact, it would be a great idea to have a student friendly edition of this play to made available at schools all over India to educate our young minds about the practice of dowry and its effects on the lives of the people involved.What better way could there be to nip this process other than making the next generation of young people to seriously think about such issues?- www.amazon.com

Reviews

Young and attractive Poonam who lives in Model Town, Delhi has an arranged marriage with Ravinder who manages a shop together with his father in Ghaziabad. The boy’s family have expectations of a fat dowry from the marriage. Ravinder hopes to set up shop independently in an expensive commercial area. Poonam’s mother Mrs Bajaj has hidden her financial status from the family her daughter is marrying into. When that family’s expectations of a large dowry are not met, things turn sour. Very sour. And they are now about to turn smoky and acrid as Mrs Arora the mother-in-law starts to scheme and plan on how to use a kerosene stove to get rid of her daughter-in-law. Will Mrs Arora succeed in her designs or will Poonam escape an attempt on her life? This is a very serious theme but the play is written out like a comedy.

I’m not someone who likes to read plays. Most of the time I just get lost. This one was very different. The Bride Who Would Not Burn is a play which talks about a big issue in a nice humorous way.

This is a story is an Indian girl called Poonam Bajaj, who like a lot of other girls follows her parents and gets married to Ravinder Arora. Their match was not made in heaven but was made by a nearby Pundit (priest) whose entire interest is to fill his pockets and has no interest in look at compatibilities of the two individuals. Like any other Indian wedding, it is more a marriage of the families than two individuals. Rajesh Talwar has tried to educate the readers of a serious issue in a really simple and humorous way. Maybe over a period we might be able to get rid of such dirty practices from our society. I truly enjoyed reading this book and would recommend it to all the people in India. It’s a quick and an easy read with a very sensitive message. Totally loved this book! - www.blushesandsparkle.com